Means for moving the barrels of guns having recoil action on the carriage from the firing position to the traveling position and the converse.



N 85 .984. PATBNTED APR. 23, 1907.

o O K. VOLLER.

MEANS FOR MOVING THE BARRBLS OF GUNS HAVING REGOIL ACTION ON THE CARRIAGE FROM THE FIRING POSITION TO THE TRAVELING POSITION AND THE GONVBR APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES rm: nomus PETERS 00.. WASHINQTON h IA'IBNTED APR. 2 1907. K. VOLLER. 3

MEANS FOR MOVING THE BARRELS OP GUNS HAVING REOOIL ACTION .ON THE CARRIAGE FROM THE FIRING POSITION TO THE TRAVELING POSITION AND THE CONVERSE,

APPLICATION mum MAY 16. 1906 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @EETCE.

KARL VOLLER, OF DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO RHEINISCHE METALLWAREN-UND MASCHINENFABRIK, OF DUSSELDORF-DERENDORF,

GERMANY.

MEANS FOR MOVING THE BARRELS OF GUNS HAVING RECOIL ACTION ON THE CARRIAGE FROM THE FIRING POSITION TO THE TRAVELING POSITION AND THE CONVERSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application file May 15,1906. Serial No. 316,984.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL VoLLnR, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Dusseldorf, 47 Yulicherstrasse,

Germany, have invented certain new and useful improvements in means for moving the barrels of guns having recoil action on the carriage from the firing position to the traveling position and the converse; and I do hereby 1o declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the employment I 5 in guns in which the barrel recoils upon the carriage of a device by means of which the gun-barrel is moved out of the firing position into the traveling position or conversely from the traveling position into the firing position.

According to the present invention the said device consists in that the gun-barrel is supported in the one position by pressure fluid confined in a chamber from which the pressure can be discharged, so as to allow the gun-barrel to move into the other position.

By admitting a fresh supply of pressure fluid into the said chamber the gun-barrel is again brought back into the first position.

An arrangement for carrying out the said invention is shown in sectional side elevation at Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 shows a detail section to a larger scale.

Fig. 3 shows another detail, partly in section.

5 Fig. 4 shows a side view of the complete gun in the traveling position. Figs. 5 and 6 show longitudinal sections of another mode of construction in two different positions.

In the construction shown at Figs. 1 to 4,

the chamber containing the pressure fluid, which holds the gun-barrel in this case in the firing position, is constituted by the recoil brake-cylinder b, which is fixed to the guncradle a, in which cylinder slides the piston c,

5 the rod of which is fixed to the gun-barrel.

In the rear end wall of the cylinder is provided a valve (1, the construction of which is shown at Fig. 2, and by the unscrewing of which the pressure can be allowed to escape from the cylinder 5. To the latter is attached an air-pump e,

by means of which air under pressure can be forced into the cylinder b by working the piston f to and fro.

If the gun-barrel is to be brought from the firing position (shown at Fig. 1) into the traveling position, (shown at Fig. 4,) the carriage is in the first instance limbered up. The gun cradle, together with the gun barrel, is then brought into an elevated position and is locked therein by the catch 2. The air contained in the cylinder 1) behind the piston c is then allowed to escape through the valve d, whereu on by the action of gravity the gun-barre will slide slowly down into the traveling position, (shown at Fig. 4,) the breach end of the gun then resting upon a support 9. If the gun-barrel is to be brought from the traveling position into the firing position, air is again forced into the cylinder 1) by means of the air-pump, whereby the gunbarrel is again forced forward. In order that the pressure required for braking during the recoil may be regulated in the cylinder 1), the tubular piston-rod of the air-pum is provided with a valve h, which is held 0 osed by means of a spring exerting a certain pressure and which automatically allows of the discharge of air-pressure from the cylinder 6 when such pressure exceeds the amount requisite for the proper braking action on firing.

In the construction shown at Figs. 3 and 6 the recoil brake-cylinder b is connected by a channel "i with a second cylinder 7c, in which slides the piston Z. hen the parts are in the position for firing, as shown at Fig. 5, the piston Z is held by a spring or, the front end of which bears against the end piece m of the cylinder, which is formed with a screwthread screwing into the cylinder for adjusting the pressure of the spring. The latter serves for effecting the forward motion of the gun-barrel when by the recoil of the gun the air confined in the cylinder 1) has forced the piston l forward in compressing the spring. If the gun-barrel is to be slid into the traveling position, the adjusting-screw m is screwed backward by means of the crank-handle 0, as at Fig. 6. The gun-barrel can then slide back slowly into the traveling position, as described with reference to Fig. 4, the air or other fluid contained in the cylinder b being thereby made to flow gradually through the channel i into the cylinder It. When the gunbarrel is to be again brought into the firing position, the adjusting-screw 'm is again screwed into the cylinder 7c, whereby the spring n is made to force the piston Z rearward, thereby forcing the pressure medium back into the cylinder 1), in which consequently the piston c, and with it the gun-barrel, is made to move forward.

The last-described arrangement can when only using air-pressure be simplified by dis pensing with the spring and adjusting-screw and in lace thereof forming the rod of the piston and the front closed end of the cylinder h with male and female screw-threads, or in place of the thread in the cylinder end there may be provided a screw-nut, arranged so as to rotate, but not to move, longitudinally. By a suitable forward or backward screwing of the piston the body of air confined between the two pistons is made to act upon the piston 0, so as to bring the gun-barrel into the desired position.

Having now particularly described and ascert ained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. In a device for moving the barrel of a gun having recoil action on the carriage from the firing position into the traveling position and the converse, the combination with the gun-barrel of means for holding the gun-barrel in the one position by a confined body of pressure fluid, means for discharging the fluid body so as to allow the gun-barrel to move into the other position and means for readmitting pressure fluid for bringing the gun-barrel. back to its first position, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device for moving the barrel of a gun having recoil action on the carriage from the firing position into the traveling position and the converse the combination with the gun-barrel of a chamber containing a confined body of pressure fluid, a valve arranged at the said chamber for discharging the fluid body, a force-pump for introducing the fluid into the chamber and an automatically-discharging valve in the pump, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device for moving the barrel of a gun having recoil action on the carriage from the firing position into the traveling position and the converse the combination with the gun-barrel of a chamber containing a confined body of pressure fluid, a second cham ber communicating therewith, a piston in the second chamber arranged so as to be shifted by the passage of the fluid into the second chamber from the first-named one by the motion of the gun-barrel from the one position to the other, and means for moving the piston back again, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have afliXed my signature to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

KARL VCLLER.

Witnesses WILLIAM EssENwEIN, PETER LIEBER. 

